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Editor’s Note: Originally published in December, 2016.
I’m still amazed whenever I see the bumper sticker that reads, “Visualize world peace.” The idea is that if I, and enough other people, create the right mental picture of peace, it will soon come to pass. It’s astounding that...
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In this final part of our three-part series on Christmas according to the Angels, we contemplate the truth that the birth announcements of the angels celebrated "glory to God" and "peace for man."
Consider first that the angels celebrated "glory to God" (Luke 2:14) in their birth announcements for Jesus. In those words, what did the angels tell us but that in Jesus the full weight of "the Godness of God," the perfections and excellencies of God, has been revealed? In Jesus, "all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Col 1:19). In other words, in Jesus, the "beauty of the LORD" (Ps 27:4) has become incarnate.
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In our first installment in this series, we learned that the Gospel birth announcements of the angels brought "good news of great joy" to those humbled by sin, suffering, and death. In this our second installment, we focus on two more truths: 1) the birth announcements of the angels were sent to "all the people" (Luke 2:10) and 2) those birth announcements spoke of Jesus' person and work. Let's look more closely at each of these points.
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Other than the Holy Spirit, they are the most pivotal players in the drama that we know as the Christmas story; they are the most pivotal players in the accounts God gave us about the birth of Jesus our Lord.
Matthew the Evangelist tells us that it was one of them who brought the announcement of the upcoming birth to Joseph. Luke the Evangelist tells us that it was one of them who brought the announcement of the upcoming birth to Mary. And Luke again tells us that it was a host of them who brought the birth announcement to shepherds.
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The Word Became Flesh is the newest Christmas music release from Ligonier Ministries and is a unique production, exploring the doctrine of the Incarnation. The musical score and text by Dan and Heidi Goeller is wonderfully executed by full orchestra and choir and contains a beautiful balance of familiar hymns and Christmas carols with new choral compositions. The underscored narratives by Dr. R.C. Sproul are adapted from Scripture and are presented in an engaging, dramatic way.
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The theme of this month's Tabletalk is Paradise Lost, which is the title of what most critics would agree is the greatest poem in the English language. John Milton (whose 400th birthday we celebrate today on December 9) was an English puritan revolutionary who helped overthrow King Charles I but whose hopes for a free republic were dashed with the restoration of the monarchy. Narrowly avoiding the death penalty, Milton lost everything. His first marriage was unhappy. After his wife died, he married again, only to have her die in childbirth. He also went blind. In his enforced leisure, Milton, trying to justify the ways of God to himself, turned to Scripture and began an epic meditation on the fall, imagining as no one had done before or since what Eden must have been like, why Satan hates us so, why Eve and Adam ate the fruit, and how the Son of God restores us to a "paradise regained."
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The book of Lamentations was written soon after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. It consists of five poetic songs of lament. It is not among the most popular Old Testament books, but it repays careful study. There are a number of helpful commentaries on this book, and the following are five of the best.
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Together for the Gospel (T4G) began as a friendship. These friends differed on a number of theological issues, but they were committed to standing together for the main thing -- the gospel of Jesus Christ. So they began a conference which occurs every two years and aims principally at encouraging other pastors to do the same -- to stand together for the gospel.
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For those who don't know, "Ella Ruth" is the name of the main character in Dr. Sproul's newest children's book, The Prince's Poison Cup. She's also his first great-granddaughter to whom the book is dedicated. This tender photo was taken last weekend.
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In the two previous installment in our series on Gal 4:4-5, we have learned four features of the Apostle's answer to the question, what Child is this who was born at Christmas? We have focused on the Child as the heart of history, on two circumstances of His birth, and on the purpose of His coming. In this final installment we learn two more features of Christmas according to Paul.
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